


If I Was Normal (Would You Love Me?)

by 0rki3



Series: If I Was Normal (Would You Love Me?) [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fanfiction, Hybrids, M/M, Past Abuse, Protective Geoff, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-02-25 00:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2601176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0rki3/pseuds/0rki3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saying that Gavin Free was nervous was a huge understatement. To say the least; he was utterly terrified. The sandy-blonde lad was a 23 year old British  cinematographer on a plane to Austin where he’d been offered a job with the internet company Rooster teeth. He was meeting up with Geoff Ramsey who in charge of looking after the newbie and getting him set up within his new workplace. Gavin would also be staying with Geoff until he found his own place.</p>
<p>Since he'd been noticed by Rooster Teeth thanks to his work with slow motion capturing, Gavin wasn't worried about his job performance- he knew how to record and edit footage just fine. No- he was worried about how Geoff would feel about the Lad once he'd met him in person. After all- he was a hybrid and hybrids were considered to be the scum of the Earth to many people. Gavin hoped Geoff wouldn't be one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New House, New Job, Same Ol' Secret

Saying that Gavin Free was nervous was a huge understatement. To say the least; he was utterly terrified. The sandy-blonde lad was a 23 year old British cinematographer on a plane to Austin where he’d been offered a job with the internet company Roosterteeth. He was meeting up with Geoff Ramsey who in charge of looking after the newbie and getting him set up within his new workplace. Gavin would also be staying with Geoff until he found his own place.

Since he'd been noticed by Rooster Teeth thanks to his work with slow motion capturing, Gavin wasn't worried about his job performance- he knew how to record and edit footage just fine. No- he was worried about how Geoff would feel about the Lad once he'd met him in person. After all- he was a hybrid and hybrids were considered to be the scum of the Earth to many people. Gavin hoped Geoff wouldn't be one of them.

Gavin's cat-like ears twitched uncomfortably from underneath the beanie he had perched on top of his head to hide the sandy-blonde appendages from public eye as the light above his head that indicated that he should put his seatbelt on because they were beginning to decent blinked on, accompanied by a soft ‘ding’ get his attention. Not that it was needed- he'd been staring at the small bulb for the past hour, nerves bleeding into his system more and more the longer he waited. Knowing that he’d soon be touching down on American soil wasn't helping those nerves. Maybe he should keep his secret hidden under the beanie for now.. The cat-boy’s tail was itching to flick around and get some air, but he was forced to keep it under wraps beneath his over sized, baggy hoodie and bandage to keep still. It was incredibly uncomfortable but it was necessary since he couldn't always control the random twitched and aggravated flicks that would be certain to jolt his clothing and arouse suspicion- if not get him instantly beat up by the more paranoid and aggressive individuals. Gavin shuddered at a distant memory of a time when he’d forgotten to bind his tail in his rush which had ended badly. He didn't fancy a repeat of that day any time soon. 

The British man’s sensitive ears stung at the rapidly changing air pressure as the plane got closer to the ground, and his body tensed up. ‘This is it...’ Gavin thought, forcing himself to take deep breaths and calm down. 'Here we go...' Gavin closed his eyes and waited to feel the bump of the plane hitting concrete.  
When he felt it, the Brit opened his eyes and stared out the window, forcing himself to breathe evenly as he awaited the plane's stop.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for flying with us today. Please wait for the plane to stop moving before you leave your seats and collect your on-board luggage. We hope you enjoyed your flight." The flight attendant smiled just as the plane pulled to a stop. Gavin stayed in his seat, waiting for everyone else to finish moving around and get off before he stood and did the same, smiling a thanks to the attendant and walking along the boarding deck.  
"Well...no turning back now..." Gavin whispered to himself, following the signs towards the baggage collection while looking around for Geoff. 

It didn't take long to find the man, he was standing right outside the gate with a huge piece of card labelled 'Gavin Free' which made the lad feel like he was on a proper business trip. He smiled and jogged up to the man, shoving his nerves deep inside of him to greet him.  
"Hi Geoff," Gavin smiled, biting his lip as he held out his hand for a handshake.  
"Hi Gavin." Geoff grinned, taking hold of the Brit's hand and- instead of shaking it like Gav expected him to do- pulled him into a hug, chuckling at the younger man's squawk of surprise. "Good to finally meet you."  
"Yeah, you too." Gav grinned, hugging the man back. Pulling away, Geoff grinned at the younger lad.  
"So, deal is, today you're gonna be coming round to my house to drop of your stuff and see where you'll be living, then we're gonna head off to work. You won't be doing any today, this is an opportunity to be able to meet your co-workers and learn your way around, Sound good?" Gavin nodded, returning the smile.  
"Sounds great."  
"Great! Let's go collect your bags and get our of this place then, shall we?"

After a long car journey of talking about Gavin's life back at home- who he lived with, what he used to do for a living, hobbies etc- Geoff finally pulled into his driveway.  
"Home sweet home," he smiled, turning the engine off. "And welcome to your new home,"  
Gavin smiled, following Geoff out the car as he inspected the outside of the house.  
"It's a beautiful house,"  
"Damn right it is!" Geoff laughed, going to unlock the front door while he left Gav to get his bags. "Step inside, wipe your feet, shoes off yada yada yada,"  
Gavin laughed, pulling his suitcase from the boot of the car, slamming it shut a little too hard, jumping a little at the sudden noise. He shook it off and following Geoff into the house, closing the door behind him a lot gentler than he had the boot.  
"Your room is down the hall, second door to the left. I'll let you get settled while I call Burnie and let him know you're here." Gavin nodded, saying thanks before heading down the hall to the room specified by his new boss and housemate. The room was nice, really nice. It had a lot of space with a large wardrobe and a double bed.

Gavin smiled as he began to unpack his bag, putting everything where it was supposed to go. For a moment, he debated getting changed or at least letting his tail free for a few minutes. Keeping it binded for a long time made it very painful, but he decided against it not wanting to risk being caught by his boss, still unsure on how he would react. Instead, Gavin stretched upwards, hoping to shift the bandages and allow him a little movement. No such luck, they stayed tightly in place, his back already aching from the effort and the pressure.  
Gavin sighed, settling down again and rolling his shoulders. He'd have to endure it for now, he couldn't risk being caught.  
"Hopefully a nice hot bath later on will sooth me..." He mumbled to himself, perching on the edge of his bed and looking around the room. He sighed again, rubbing his lower back- where his binded appendage met his body- hoping to at least sooth it a little.  
"Gav?" Geoff called, knocking on the door. "If you're ready, we can leave for work."  
"I'm ready." Gav called back, standing up and opening the door, smiling at the older man. "Let's go."  
Geoff nodded, leading Gavin back out of the house and to the car.  
"How did you like your room?"  
"It's great," Gavin smiled, sliding into the passenger seat. "I've put all my stuff away, there's loads of room for everything." Geoff nodded.  
"It's just the guest room, but we still like to make sure guests are comfortable when staying at our home." Geoff laughed, starting the engine up. "You'll meet my wife, Griffon, when we come home."  
"Great, look forward to it,"  
"You better, she's awesome." Geoff grinned. "Now, ready to meet your new coworkers?" Gavin took a deep breath and nodded, smiling nervously.  
"As I'll ever be,"  
"Then let's go."


	2. One Down, Five To Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin fidgeted and pulled on the hem of his hoodie for the entire car journey, thoroughly pissing Geoff off by the time they pulled into the car park just outside the Rooster Teeth building.  
> "Gavin, will you chill the fuck out? What are you so freaked out about?" Geoff sighed, turning to Gavin as he turned the engine off. Gavin stared at Geoff, trying to make the words in his head come out of his mouth.  
> "Um...I-I'm not... what if they don't like me?" He finally mumbled out, looking down to the hands that lay clenched in his lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter guys, woo!  
> Sorry this took so long - next one will probably take longer thanks to the Christmas break as I won't have access to a computer...  
> Sorry, I'll get it done ASAP. For now, enjoy this~

Gavin fidgeted and pulled on the hem of his hoodie for the entire car journey, thoroughly pissing Geoff off by the time they pulled into the car park just outside the Rooster Teeth building.  
"Gavin, will you chill the fuck out? What are you so freaked out about?" Geoff sighed, turning to Gavin as he turned the engine off. Gavin stared at Geoff, trying to make the words in his head come out of his mouth.  
"Um...I-I'm not... what if they don't like me?" He finally mumbled out, looking down to the hands that lay clenched in his lap. After a few seconds, he heard Geoff burst out with laughter and turned his head to glare at the older man.  
"I-I'm sorry Gav but that is the funniest shit I've heard all day. I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't think you'd get along with the others." Geoff grinned between snickers. He calmed himself down before smiling fondly at Gavin. "Relax Gav, they're gonna like you and vies versa, ok?" Gavin smiled back at Geoff and nodded before climbing out of the car.  
Slamming the door closed behind him, he glanced up at the building in front of his - fear and excitement merging together to create a strange and overwhelming emotion. Gavin shook as he and Geoff took steps closer to the building but the Brit forced himself to keep calm. No point in panicking and making a fool of himself now was there? He heard Geoff chuckling at him, obviously noticing his nerves. Gav pouted, playfully glaring at the back of his head. 

Once at the door, Geoff simply opened it wide and stalked proudly in, smiling at Kara.  
"Kara, this is Gavin. Gavin, Kara. Moving on." Kara laughed, waving at the younger lad and flipping the bird to the older.  
"Hi to you too ass hole," She smiled before returning to work.  
"Yeah, yeah, Hi I need to introduce Gavin to the guys. Is Michael in yet?" Kara shook her head.  
"He called in sick this morning. Though I doubt he's actually sick and just has a hang over after the weekend." Geoff chuckled and rolled his eyes.  
"Lazy son of a bitch. Can't even come into work after spending a weekend at the bar. Ray went with him and he's in."  
"Ray doesn't drink." Kara laughed, "Now go, the guys don't even know you've reeled in the newbie yet." She smiled before shooing Geoff off. "Nice to meet you Gavin." She added as the younger lad walked past, following Geoff.  
"Hi," Gavin smiled shyly, considering stopping and having a quick chat before deciding against it and jogging after Geoff. He could talk to her later. Along the way, Geoff had greeted some other people but hadn't stopped to talk to them - seemingly set of getting to the office that Gav would be working in. Spotting the door down the end of the corridor, Geoff quickened his pace - practically sprinting towards the door. Gavin's heart starting pounding. weather it was due to fear or excitement, he wasn't quite sure. When his new boss swung the door open and announced his arrival, he decided on fear.  
"Listen here ass holes," Geoff half shouted. "We have a newbie joining us today so I want you all to make him feel welcome and help him settle in show him around..." Lowering his voice to a volume that - if he didn't have his ears - Gavin wouldn't have been able to hear, he added "He's a bit jumpy so be gentle with the lad." before turning and gesturing for Gavin to come forward. He did so, poking his head round the door and observing the three men in the room- his co-workers. They seemed nice enough... 

The first to stand, was a short, stubbled man with slightly scruffy black hair and thick glasses. He was wearing some black skinny jeans, a grey T-shirt with what seemed to be a silhouette of his face holding a rose on it and some checkered shoes that looked like he'd owned then for years and never worn anything else. He had a kind aura to him, and Gavin decided instantly that he liked him. The man stepped forward, holding his hand out to Gavin.  
"Hi, I'm the Puerto Rican here. AKA, Ray Narvaez Jr, AKA Ray. Nice to meet you." He smiled. Gavin returned the smile and the handshake.  
"Gavin," He said, releasing Ray's hand and stepping completely into the room. 

The other two men stood at the same time, one taller and more muscular than the other, who was only slightly shorter and chubbier. The taller of the two had sandy hair swept to the side. He had a kind smile but his eyes were slightly off-putting. After a moment of analysis, Gavin decided that he would wait a while before being alone with this one...  
He was wearing a plain white T-shirt that hugged his frame nicely, and some regular blue denim jeans paired with some grey converse. He stepped forward slightly, giving Gavin a lopsided smile and help out his hand - following Ray's lead.  
"I'm Ryan, nice to meet you."  
"Gavin, you too." He hesitated slightly before taking his hand and returning the greeting, deciding that Ryan didn't seem that bad. He was actually quite charming. 

Turning to the third man, Gavin took in the thick, ginger beard with short hair to match, and a pair smart glasses. He wore a red, white and grey checkered shirt that was buttoned all the way to the collar minus one. With it, some plain blue denim jeans and white trainers. His cheeks were stained a rosy pink, and he gave off a friendly and some what childish vibe. Gavin liked this one, this one was nice - he could tell.  
"Hi Gavin, I'm Jack. Welcome aboard." He smiled and Gavin was instantly taken aback by the similarity of his and Ryan's voices. "I know, we sound very alike - we get that a lot." Jack chuckled  
"You'll get used to it," Ryan added, patting the Brit on the shoulder, making him jump a little. Gavin nodded, smiling up at the two men.  
"I hope so, and thanks Jack, it's good to be here." Gavin smiled, looking around the room.  
His ears ached from under his beanie, he wanted to let them twitch and move so badly but he couldn't risk the others noticing.  
"Alright, that's enough introduction. Back to work boys." Geoff's voice boomed suddenly, effectively scaring the shit out of the skinny lad. "Gavin either sit, watch and make friends or wander around the building and try to make a mental map of the place." Gavin nodded, watching as the others sat at their designated desks and decided to take up that mental map suggestion. Sounded like a good idea.  
"I'm gonna try and find my way around the building, I'll be back soon...hopefully..." He mumbled, taking a step backwards towards the door.  
"Alright, good luck buddy! Have fun." Geoff waved without taking his eyes off the screen where he currently had an editing software open - as did the others. Gavin decided to leave them to it, smiling once more before leaving the room. Time to explore! 

A few hours later and Gavin could safely say that he had met every person currently present in the building, and also learnt the layout. His cat-like instincts helped with that so he found his way back to the achievement hunter office with little trouble. He poked his head round the corner just as Ray was leaving.  
"Oh, Hey Gav. So you didn't get lost and die?" He grinned  
"Nah, I'm good with directions. Where you off to?" Gavin questioned, gesturing to Ray's bag and coat.  
"Uh, Home? It's 10 o'clock at night Gav, and I'm leaving late!"  
"It's that late? I was gone longer than I thought."  
"Hell yeah you were, what were you doing?" Gavin shrugged.  
"I met everyone and learnt my way around."  
"Whoa, whoa wait, wait, wait. You met EVERYONE?" Gavin nodded. "Like.. Everyone?"  
"Yeah, everyone."  
"Good job buddy!" Geoff sudden appeared from behind the door frame, smiling at the lad. "Ray's been here almost 2 years and he hardly knows anyone outside of this room; and it's about time you showed up, I wanna go home already."  
"Sorry Geoff, lost track of time. Bye Ray! See you tomorrow!"  
"Bye newbie!" Ray sang, waving behind him as he walked away. He was gone before Gavin could wave back.  
"He moves fast!" Gavin chuckled, turning to Geoff, who was waiting at the door-frame with his own bag slung over his shoulder; while calmly tossing his car keys in the air and catching them again.  
"He wants to get home- as do I." He said with a smile - showing that he was joking. "Now let's go, I want you to meet Griff!" Geoff didn't wait for Gavin to reply as he started walking, kicking the door closed behind him. Gavin quickly followed, having to half jog to keep up. "BYE BURNIE, BYE GUS!" Geoff yelled as he walked out of the building and Gavin heard a faint 'Fuck you!' coming from somewhere back inside. 

The car journey back was pretty chilled, the two talked about the people Gavin met and if he'd found his way around ok. Gavin had asked Geoff what the guys did today and he'd just shrugged and said:  
"Everyone was just editing the videos that need to be up, we don't really need to record much at the moment and Michael wasn't in anyway."  
"He'll be in tomorrow right?" Gavin questioned, remembering Geoff and Kara talking about him earlier that day and Geoff nodded  
"Should be. But be careful around him buddy, they don't call him 'Rage Quit Jones' for nothing." Geoff chuckled and Gavin smiled. He knew all about Mr. Rage Quit - he'd been a fan of his videos for about a year so he was excited to meet the guy and work with him. As Geoff was turning into his driveway Gavin noticed that he pulled up beside another car. "Griffon already here?" Geoff nodded again.  
"She gets home at around 8 - 9ish normally. She's excited to meet you by the way."  
"And I her. She sounds like a nice person."  
"She is. You two are gonna get on great!" Geoff said, grinning at the younger lad as he turned the engine off. Gavin smiled back and climbed out of the car, waiting for Geoff before following him into the house.

"Griff! I brought you a present!" Geoff called, closing the door behind Gavin and him.  
"It better be a British kid!" Gavin heard from the next room and smiled to himself.  
"It might be!" Geoff called back, kicking his shoes off and heading in the direction of his wife's voice. Gavin stayed where he was, looking around the house. He hadn't really gotten a chance to have a proper look when he was here before - he'd just dropped off his bags and he was out again.  
"Where is he?" He heard Griffon ask, quieter now that her husband was in the same room.  
"In the living room, hi to you t-" Geoff was cut off and Gavin yelped, being suddenly tackled into a hug.  
"HE'S HERE! OH MY GOD HE'S ACTUALLY HERE!" a voice behind him squealed and Gavin relaxed, recognizing Griffon's voice. She suddenly released the lad from the hug and held him at arm's length so she could get a good look at him. Gavin, after shaking himself back to reality, did the same - giving Griffon the once, twice, three times over. ****She was absolutely stunning! Her blonde hair was tied up in a smart - but slightly messy pony tail, and she had tattoos all up both her arms - much like Geoff's. She also had a nose ring and earrings in. She was currently wearing a royal blue tank top and some light blue skinny jeans that hugged her figure nicely. Gavin decided that yes, he liked her. He really liked her - she managed to look badass yet beautiful at the same time, and her smile just screamed 'you can trust me'.

"Well Gavin," Griffon sang, letting go of the younger man's shoulders and looping her arms round her back. "I think we're going to get along great. Welcome to my home!"  
"Your home?" Geoff's voice suddenly boomed and Gavin looked past Griffon to the door frame that Geoff was currently leant against, a slight pout playing on his lips. Griffon rolled her eyes, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.  
"Fine. Our house." She winked at Gavin and mouthed 'My house' to him, making him giggle a little. Geoff glared between the two before smiling, letting out a soft chuckle himself.  
"What do you guys want to eat? Something from the freezer or shall we order pizza?" Geoff asked, standing away from the doorframe and stretching upwards.  
"Pizza!" Both Griffon and Gavin chorused simultaneously, and Geoff nodded in agreement.  
"Pizza it is!" He grinned, turning on his heels and pulling his phone out of his pocket. "What do you want, Gav?"  
"Err... just a regular cheese please?" Gavin said hesitantly and Geoff rolled his eyes.  
"Gavin with the boring pizza's. Ok then." gave Gavin a lopsided grin as he ordered - already knowing what he and Griffon would have. 

By the time everyone had finished eating, it was almost 1am. They'd spent most of the night eating, drinking, playing video games and basically just messing around. They'd been so engrossed in what they were doing that they forgot to keep an eye on the time.  
It wasn't until Gavin checked his phone that he realized this.  
"Bloomin' heck! It's one in the morning!" He exclaimed  
"You're kidding." Geoff gasped, spinning his head round to look at the lad.  
"Nope, look," Gavin turned his phone to Geoff, careful not to wake griffon - who'd fallen asleep on the sofa about an hour ago.  
"Oh man, we should get to bed buddy."  
"No kidding." Gavin mumbled, standing up carefully so he didn't jolt Griffon. He watched Geoff walk over to them and gently lift Griffon into his arms, whispering 'goodnight' to Gavin before walking into his own room. Gavin whispered a 'goodnight' back and proceeded to walk into his room, closing the door behind him. He waited a few moments before ripping his beanie and hoodie off, the bindings coming along with it.  
Gavin gave a deep sigh of relief as he let his aching tail and ears move - his tail flipping and curling around him and his ears swiveling, the nagging, aching pain being eased slightly.  
He was disappointed that he hadn't been able to have that hot bath to sooth his muscles, but at least he had a few hours of freedom until he needed to bind them again tomorrow. Taking off his jeans, Gavin fell into bed, setting his alarm for around 6 so he could get up before anyone else, allowing his time to get ready and hide his appendages from his housemates. Only then did he realize just how tired he was.  
Gavin was asleep before his head even touched the pillow. 

\---

Geoff was shocked the next morning when he walked into the living room at 7am to find Gavin already on the sofa, dressed and eating a bowl of cereal. "Jesus Christ, Geoff! You scared the crap out of me!" Gavin gasped, holding onto his chest with a free hand and turning in his seat to look at Geoff, smiling at the older man.  
"Sorry buddy, I was just shocked to see you up already." Geoff grinned.  
"I always wake up early. Always have done." Gavin lied. The truth was - he could and would sleep in until gone noon if he didn't set his alarm - but what reason would he have to set it that early without sounding suspicious? None. "When do we leave?" Gavin asked, hoping Geoff would get the idea and change the subject.  
"About an hour, I want to get in early just to make sure everything is set up ready for you to start working, that ok?" Geoff asked, dropping the 'getting up early' subject. Gavin nodded.  
"Yeah, that's fine. I'm ready anyway." He said, standing up and heading towards the kitchen to put his bowl in the kitchen. He couldn't really sit down much longer anyway, he'd shifted slightly when Geoff had made him jump so he'd been sitting uncomfortably on the root of his tail while talking to Geoff and it had really been starting to ache. He gave Geoff a sideways smile as he passed, trying not to give anything away. Geoff smiled back, patting his shoulder as he passed before following him into the kitchen.  
"I need my coffee. It's way to early for my liking, how do you do this every day?" He sighed, pulling a mug out of one of the many cabinets.  
"I don't do it every day, I just know when I need to be up and do. It's like an internal alarm clock that I can't turn off."  
"So when do you get proper lie ins?" Geoff asked, staring at Gavin like he'd suddenly grown two heads and sprouting flowers from his ears. Gavin simply shrugged, pretending to think for a bit.  
"Typically Saturdays I guess..."  
"Only Saturdays?" Gavin nodded, pouring himself a glass of water and leaning on the counter, turning to look at Geoff. "That's rough, Buddy." Geoff chuckled and Gavin smiled at him.  
"It's not that bad - I'm used to it." Another lie, Gavin was tired as fuck, but he couldn't let Geoff know that. "You're crazy." Geoff smiled jokingly and the conversation just ended there - the two lads standing in silence, Gavin staring out of the window and Geoff into nothing, sipping at his coffee. "I'm gonna go out my phone on charge before we leave - I've been playing peggle all morning." Gavin said, placing his glass down before heading off to his room where he waited until Geoff called him to leave. 

The hour wait to leave seemed to fly by, before he even knew it, Gavin was climbing into the passenger seat of Geoff's car for the second time that week. He strapped himself him - buzzing with excitement to be starting work finally.  
"You ready, Buddy?" Geoff asked, staring the engine and backing out of the driveway. Clearly he was wasting no time today to get to the office. Gavin nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Gavin, calm down would ya? You look like you're gonna explode from all that contained excitement." Geoff laughed, giving the lad a sideways glance accompanied with a lopsided smile.  
"I fee like I am going to explode." Gavin grinned, turning to look at Geoff. "I meet Michael today, right?" Geoff nodded.  
"Yeah, but remember what I said?" Gavin nodded this time, smiling.  
"Yup, be careful of Mr. 'Rage-Quit-Jones. I know, I'll try not to get on his nerves."  
"Good lad."  
The rest of the journey was relatively quiet - a few questions about Gavin and what he was excited about but that was about it. Pulling up at the site, Gavin felt his excitement bubbling up again, practically leaping out of the car and running to the door of the building, bouncing on the spot impatiently while he waited for Geoff.  
"Geoffffffff!" Gavin whined, similarly to a small child wanting to go into a toy shop. "Cooomee ooonnnn!" Geoff chuckled, speeding up to a slow jog.  
"Ok, ok, I'm coming. Don't get your pants in a knot." He smiled, pulling the key out of his pocket and unlocking the door. "It should be pretty empty at this time of the morning so don't get too excited to meet your new friends until later." Gavin nodded, forcing himself to take deep, calming breaths and follow the older man into the building in a sophisticated manner.  
"You can go straight to the office, I'll be there in a moment." Geoff said, patting Gavin on the shoulder before stalking off in another direction.  
"Ok, see you in a bit." Gavin called after him, watching him for a moment before making his way to the office.  


Stepping into the office, Gavin took a moment to look around before sitting at the desk that was free from clutter and personal items - assuming that this would be his. He glances at the desk to his left - the only one that had been empty yesterday.  
"Must be Michael's..." Gavin concluded out loud, swiveling round in his chair.  
"You would be correct." Geoff voice suddenly sounded and Gavin spun his chair around to look at the man. "Your desk ok?" Gavin glanced back at his desk and smiled.  
"Yeah, it's great."  
"Good. Obviously you can decorate it with whatever shit you want, just like these fuckers." Geoff said, gesturing to the other desks in the room. "Have you turned your computer on yet?" Gavin shook his head, reaching over to the cuboid box and pressing the power button - sitting back as he watched the computer boot up.  
"When to the other's get in?" Gavin asked, turning to face Geoff.  
"Well, It's 8:30 now and the guys usually get here at around 9... I'm pretty sure Michael will be in later though - he always does the day after a hang over." Gavin smiled, turning back to his computer.  
"What's the user and password?"  
"The user is Gavino and the password is password. You can change that once you're in." Gavin typed the details in, watching as the desktop loaded up.  
"Nice." Geoff smiled, leaning over Gavin's shoulder. "Internet's working fine and you signed in OK. Great, now lets see if the Xbox works..."  


15 minuets later and everything was set up and working fine - Gavin had a game of peggle going to test everything out when Ray walked in.  
"HELLOOOOOOOOOO" He shouted, obviously having way too much energy for 9am.  
"Morning Ray." Geoff mumbled, waving at him.  
"Hi Ray!" Gavin smiled, twirling his chair to face him.  
"Morning Gav, how are you this fine morning?" Ray grinned, jumping into his chair and spinning it to face Gavin.  
"Good. Excited to start work." Ray laughed and grinned at the newbie.  
"Why?" Gavin shrugged.  
"I've been a fan for a while, I guess I'm just excited to actually be here and working with you guys..."  
"Dude, that was cheesy as shit!" Ray chuckled and the Brit smiled.  
"Nahhh."  
"Yeeaahhhh!" Ray teased, spinning his chair back around so he could sign into his own computer and Xbox.  
One by one, Ryan and Jack also arrived within half an hour of each other, both greeting everyone who'd already arrived. 

"Anyone heard from Michael yet?" Geoff asked when the clocked ticked over past 10  
"I'm here." A new voice sounded from behind. "Who's that?" Gavin spun around, smiling up at the curly haired man. He was quite cute in person.  
"I'm Gavin, you're Michael, right?"  
"...Why the fuck are you saying my name like that?" Michael glared  
"Like what?" Gavin asked, confused, his ears flattening, pressing against his head from underneath his beanie. He felt so small under that glare...  
"'Mi-cool'. What the fuck is that? It's 'Michael' you British fuck. Geoff, why did you hire this guy?" Michael sighed, sitting heavily in his chair.  
"That's what I said - Michael!"  
"YOU DID IT AGAIN! IT'S MICHAEL NOT MI-COOL. Say it right or don't say it at all." By now, everyone in the office had turned to watch the scene take place, amused smiles on their faces. Gavin turned to look at Ryan, a sort of 'what-the-fuck-just-happened' look on his face. Ryan simply grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up.  
"Michael," Geoff interrupted, and the curly haired rage ball turned in his chair to look at him.  
"Yes, Geoff?"  
"Be nice to Gavin, he's just started and we don't want him being scared off an hour into the day." Geoff scolded, but he had a playful smile on his face - showing that he was semi-joking.  
"Right. Sorry Geoff, sorry new guy - Gavin was it?" Gavin smiled at Michael and nodded. "OK, start over. Hi Gavin, I'm Michael. Nice to meet you." With that, he thrust his hand forward and gave the younger lad a friendly smile. Who know someone so angry could have such a nice, heart warming smile?  
Gavin took the hand and gave it a firm shake, smiling back at Michael. "Hi Michael, nice to meet you too." "... God dammit you did it again..." The older lad sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Whatever." He grumbled through gritted teeth. Typical that he was sat next to this fuck head.

Hours later and Michael and Gavin were thick as thieves. Despite the Brit's annoying nature - the Jersey man found it quite appealing. Plus, Gavin seemed to be incapable of getting mad; no matter what was said to him. Michael decided that maybe this newfound friendship could work - They already had a team name, team 'Nice Dynamite'. Michael thought it was pretty fucking stupid, but also catchy. It had a nice ring to it, so he let it stay.  
"Bye Gavin." Michael sighed, stalking out of the office with his hands deep in his pockets and a bad flung over his shoulder.  
"Bye boi! See you tomorrow!" Gavin waved, chuckling when he was returned with a flip from the finger.  
"So, Gavin..." Geoff draw out, gesturing for Gavin to leave the room so he could lock up. "How was your first day as an official Rooster Teeth employee?"  
Gavin grinned. "You were right about Michael, he has a very short fuse but I think we're gonna get on fine. Work wise - I thought it was fantastic!"  
"Glad to see you're settling down already." Geoff smiled, turning the lights off and locking the door to the office before walking towards the exit - Gavin following.  
"Well the people here seem nice. Everyone's really friendly - even Michael once you're used to him."  
"I think you need to redefine your definition of 'friendly' there, Buddy." Geoff laughed, opening the door for Gavin and locking it behind himself once he'd followed the Brit out. Gavin smiled to himself.  
"We'll see..."

  
\-----  


The next few weeks went fast for the lad, but it became clockwork routine. Wake up early, get dressed, make breakfast, go to work, come home, eat, shower, set alarm, sleep. That was the routine - minus the weekends where he got to chill with Geoff and some of the other boys from the office if they were willing to come over for a few hours. That's how it was - routine...  
Until the one day that Gavin forgot to set his alarm.

Geoff came running into Gavin's room, slamming the door open.  
"Gavin! Get up Buddy, we're gonna be late!" Geoff half shouted, wrestling with the shirt he was trying to pull over his head.  
Gavin - still half asleep- groaned and pulled the covers closer to him.  
"10 more minuets..." He grumbled, snuggling deeper into his bed.  
"No time, Pal. Come on, up you get." Geoff said gently yet urgently, taking hold of the duvet and quickly pulling it off the dozing lad, leaving him exposed in his fetal position.  
Everything seemed to freeze at that moment, leaving Gavin stunned and wondering why the room suddenly felt tense. That's when he felt the chill of the early morning air hitting his bare back. His eyes flew open and he shot up, staring wide eyed at an equally wide eyed Geoff - his now empty hands in the position as if he was still holding the duvet. Gavin's ears flattened back against his head and his tail wrapped defensively around himself.  
"U-Um... I-I... Geoff I..." Gavin stuttered, struggling to maintain eye contact with the man. Geoff remained speechless for a few moments, before slowly reaching forward to gently touch one of Gavin's ears, causing the boy to tense up and screw his eyes closed, thinking the older man was about to his him and throw him out. He slowly opened his eyes again when that never came.  
"I'm not gonna hurt you Gavin just... Christ...why...." Geoff took a few seconds to compose himself before continuing. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
Gavin looked away, feeling like he was about to burst into tears. How could he have been so careless?  
"B-because I didn't want you to be disgusted with me or kick me out of the house or hit me or-"  
"Gavin, Gavin, whoa. Why would I be disgusted? I wouldn't kick you out- let alone hit you!" Geoff asked, taken aback by the lads outburst, sitting himself down on the edge of the bed beside him. "...Everyone else does." Gavin mumbled, burring his face in his knees and curling in on himself more, his tail tensing tighter around him. He suddenly felt arms around him, pulling him into a hug. and he slowly unfolded and hugged the older man back, not even realizing he was crying until he felt a small wet patch on his shirt.  
"Gavin..." Geoff said gently, rubbing the smaller man's back in a comforting manner. "I'm not disgusted. Surprised, yes. But not disgusted. I know what society thinks and the cruel world we live in, my auntie was just like you so I actually think it's really cool. I'm not going to kick you out or hit you or whatever, ok?"  
Gavin looked up at Geoff and smiled, sniffling and wiping his eyes. "Ok...Ok...Thank you Geoff..."  
"No problem Buddy, now come on - Get dressed we're late." Geoff said, standing up and ruffling Gavin's hair, walking towards the door.  
"Um Geoff...?" Gavin called nervously. Geoff stopped and turned to look at him.  
"Yeah...?"  
"Can you keep this between us for now...please?"  
"Of course, buddy." Geoff smiled before walking out.  
Gavin sighed, his emotions a strange mix of fear and relief as he reluctantly climbed out of bed to get dressed. At least his boss was fine with this... He just hoped the others would be too when they inevitably found out.


	3. Twenty Questions (3/?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It became clear very quickly that Geoff didn't have a problem with Gavin's appearance, and had stayed true to his word- not saying a word to the other boys; he didn't even bring the subject up at all while they were at work. Once home though, it was a very different story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, guys look! Chapter 3! I'm not dead :D
> 
> So sorry this took a while to upload, My laptop is still broken and college requires a lot of effort and time -_-
> 
> I know what I want to do In chapter 4 so hopefully it will be done quicker, but don't quote me on that D:  
> \----  
> Also, thank you everyone for your support with this, I know I'm not that great of a writer but I'm glad you seem to be enjoying this ^.^ <3

It became clear very quickly that Geoff didn't have a problem with Gavin's appearance, and had stayed true to his word- not saying a word to the other boys; he didn't even bring the subject up at all while they were at work. Once home though, it was a very different story. They hadn't even been home 5 minuets before Geoff told Griffon - much to Gavin's distress as he did so by whipping off his hat and pushing the lad into the unsuspecting woman. Gavin had relaxed immediately once he saw how excited she was by this new information. Apparently she thought that the lads ears and tail were "extremely adorable" and had proceeded to squeal in a fan girl-like manner when he actually begun to purr when she scratched behind his ears- something that only Dan had previously known about. It wasn't that he wanted to keep it hidden, it was just that hardly anyone would scratch him behind the ears. They'd usually just be pulled at or pinched.

Once Griffon satisfied her immediate curiosity, They all sat down with pizza and proceeded to begin a 20 questions round with Gavin, some of which Gavin didn't really want to answer, but he did anyway after coming to the conclusion that he could trust these two with his life - so they might as well know about it.  
"So, Gavin," Geoff begun, turning to face the lad. "Question time. Number one, have you always been like this or did it develop over time?"  
"It started when I was about 5 and finished developing when I reached 7." Gavin said, trying to stay as brief as possible with his answer.  
"Did you keep going to school?"  
"I did for about a year, but when it started becoming more prominent, Mum and dad pretty much hid me away from the world until it finished."  
"What about after that?" Geoff asked, tilting his head to one side in curiosity and interest. His expression then changed to one of concern when Gavin hesitated to answer and he sent a worried glance to Griffon - who looked just as worried.  
"...Gavin?" She asked gently, leaning forward to place a hand on the lads knee, pulling back when he flinched at her touch. It was then than Geoff remembered this morning, when Gavin had look utterly terrified when he'd reached towards him when he'd found out about the appendages.  
"Gavin..." Geoff half whispered "Don't tell me they..." He could bring himself to finish the sentence, swallowing hard- terrified of an answer. Sometimes he forgot there were people in the world who thought hybrids were nothing more than filthy mutants, even if that 'filthy mutant' was their own son.  
Gavin glanced up at Geoff, his eyes glistening slightly and he bit his lip, a little too hard he realized as he tasted blood. Looking away from Geoff, he nodded slightly, his hands instinctively wrapping themselves around his torso in a self defense manner.  
Griffon's hands game up to her face to cover her mouth, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. It was a matter of seconds before she engulfed the lad into a bear hug, stroking his hair gently and whispering quietly to him, trying to sooth him.  
"It's ok Gav," She murmured. "We're not like them, we wont hurt you and we don't think any less of you for what those people did. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want. It's ok." She soothed, continuing like this until it seemed that the Brit had calmed down, pulling away from Griff and smiling a thanks to her.  
"C-Can we talk about something else?" Gavin asked quietly, his ears flattening against his head and his tail flicking nervously behind him. Griffon and Geoff nodded simultaneously, both of them trying to think of a 'moving on' question.

"Um..." Gavin started, interrupting the sudden, unintentionally awkward silence. "How about I ask you guys some questions...? I'd like to get to know the people I've been living with." Geoff nodded in agreement and relaxed back into an armchair.  
"Alright then, ask away." He smiled, shifting his gaze towards Griffon- who'd gotten up to get some drinks.

Gavin smiled in appreciation before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves while thinking up a question.  
"Oh, I know! How did you two meet?" He asked, looking up to Geoff, who smiled at the memory playing in his mind.  
"We were high school sweethearts." Geoff chuckled. "She was in my science and math classes so we got to know each other pretty well. I asked her to the end of year dance, she said yes and here we are." Griffon could suddenly be heard chuckling from behind Geoff.  
"It didn't go quite that smoothly though did it Geoffrey?" She grinned, joining her husband on the sofa, taking the seat next to him.  
"Well...no, no it didn't." Geoff sighed with a lopsided smile. "She was dating my best friend at the time..."  
"Oh lordy Geoff, falling for your best friends girl? Isn't that against the 'bro code?'" Gavin mock gasped, acting like Geoff had just confessed to committing the world's worst crime. Geoff nodded, holding his hands up in surrender.  
"What can I say? The heart wants what it wants, and I'm glad it wanted what it did." Geoff smiled gently, glancing sideways at his wife; who promptly slapped him gently around the back of the head.  
"Hey you, no mushy shit allowed while playing 20Q!" She chuckled, leaning towards Geoff to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you though, I'm glad it did too." Gavin pretended to gag at the scene in front of him, chucking to himself when Geoff responded by flipping him off and grasping Griffon's chin and kissing her properly.  
"Geoff please! Save the snogging for when I'm not here to watch!" Gavin explained, pulling a disgusted face at the couple.  
"What the fuck is snogging?" Geoff asked, pulling away from Griffon and staring at the lad like he'd suddenly grown another head and started speaking gibberish.  
"That, you know, kissing but properly kissing rather than a silly lil' peck!"  
"Snogging is not a word..."  
"Yes it is!" Gavin half yelled, trying to convince the older man that he was right.  
"No Gavin! It's not!" Geoff responded  
"It is in England." Gavin mumbled, folding his arms and pretending to sulk like a child who was denied sweets before a meal.  
"Well then England is full of made-up words." Geoff concluded, reaching forward to take one of the beer's that Griffon had brought in earlier. Gavin said nothing, simply silently glaring at the gent before also grasping a beer; swiftly opening it and taking a sip. 

"Any more questions?" Geoff asked, stretching in his seat and yawning, glancing over at the wall clock. "Because if not, I'm gonna head to bed. It's getting late and we have a long day tomorrow." Gavin shifted his gaze over to the clock as well, briefly wondering if he had another question. Deciding that no- he didn't, Gavin shook his head. "Nah, I'm good for now. I'll head up too then, get some sleep before tomorrow." The lad hadn't realized how tired he actually was until he stood up, also stretching tall and yawning deeply, his ears and tail drooping lazily and he said his good-nights to the older couple and dragging his feet towards his room.  
Today went well - he was glad that both his new housemates knew about his... 'condition' and were perfectly fine with it. Relaxing into the bed, Gavin didn't even bother removing his clothes; he was too tired to really care, and the lad was asleep in no time- a genuinely happy smile plastered onto his face. Finally, somewhere he could be safe and happy.  
Somewhere he could finally be himself. 

\---

Gavin had been living in Austin and working at Rooster Teeth for around three months now. Even though he was perfectly comfortable walking around without his hat and binder at home with Geoff and Griffon, he wasn't quite there yet with the boys at the office. It wasn't that he didn't trust them - he did, they'd all become fantastic friends in the months he'd been there and he wasn't afraid of any of them. He simply wasn't ready.  
So, for the time being, He and Geoff had kept everything hidden from the others; besides- Gavin wasn't 100% certain on their opinions on hybrids. Telling them could end badly until he was sure that they would be ok with it.

Walking into the office, Gavin automatically noticed the mop of brownish-red curly hair and grinned, snaking up behind the lad and throwing his arms around his neck. "Hello my little Mi-cool!" The Brit said loudly, earning himself a rough shove from Michael, but Gavin simply held on tighter, grinning and chuckling at the other lad's attempts to get his to remove his arms. "Gavin! Get off me you fuck!" Michael growled, turning his body quickly to try and dislodge the limpet - only resulting in Gavin losing his balance and falling forward into Michael's lap with a bird-like squawk. "God fucking damn it, stay on your feet you shit." Michael sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and patting the Brit's head, which still lay in his lap. For a moment, he debated whipping the hat off just to mess with him, but then decided that he'd probably piss him off for the rest of the day if he did and he had a lot of work to do; so decided against it for now.  
Gavin - trying to his his surprise and the blush on his face - refused to move for a few more moments. He didn't know why, but being close to Michael always gave him a weird feeling in his stomach and his cheeks burn.  
"Gavin, Get the fuck off now." Michael's voice pulled Gavin out of his trance and he jumped back like he'd been burnt.  
"Sorry Mi-cool!" He spluttered, smiling awkwardly. "Your legs are just so comfortable." Michael stared at him for a moment before scoffed and spun back around to face his computer.  
"Shut the fuck up Gavin, I'm not a pillow."  
"You're my pillow!" Gavin sang before jumping into his own chair and turning on his computer.  
"Hashtag Mavin for the win!" Ray suddenly shouted, making the other two lads, and the only other people currently in the room, jump.  
"Jesus fucking Christ Ray! You were being so quiet I forgot you were even here!" Michael gasped, holding a hand over his chest in over exaggerated shock.  
"What can I say? I'm a master of stealth." Ray grinned, laughing out loud when Michael responded by flipping him off.  
"What's Mavin?" Gavin asked, turning to Ray with a look of confusion sketched onto his face.  
"Mavin is your and Micheal's ship name, The tumblr people made it up. Basically, they ship you guys." Gavin stared at Ray, his facial expression turning into one of a mix between curiosity, surprise and confusion.  
"They don't just ship us two, Ray. They will ship anyone who so much as looks each other in this fucking office." Michael chuckle.  
"They absolutely do." Ray smiled, turning back to his computer. Gavin kept quiet. For some reason, knowing that people would even consider putting Michael with anyone but him made him feel a little jealous and also a bit disappointed that he wasn't special enough to be the only one. Shrugging it off, Gavin stood, turning towards the other two. "I'm gonna grab a drink, either of you two want anything?" They both shook their heads no and Gavin shrugged, walking out the room and towards the kitchen.

If he was being honest, he didn't really need a drink. He just needed to think on his own. Why did he only have these sorts of feeling for Michael? Why not Ray or Geoff or even Ryan? Was there something wrong with him? Maybe he should tell someone...  
Suddenly, Gavin was knocked backwards off his feet after walking into something large and hard, wincing slightly as he landed hard on his binded tail.  
"Oh, Gavin! I'm sorry, didn't see you there." A voice above him said. Looking up, Gavin met Jack's soft brown eyes and smiled, taking the hand that was being offered to him.  
"It's ok Jack, my fault- I had too much on my mind to pay attention to where I was going."  
"What's on your mind? Anything I can help with." Jack asked, copping his head to one side. Gavin smiled at Jack's generosity, releasing the older male's hand and dusting himself off and making sure his beanie was still in place. This is why he liked Jack, he was always willing to help- even if the situation didn't benefit him in any way.  
"I don't know, maybe..." Gavin mumbled, wondering if Jack would be able to help or if trying to explain things to him would be a waste of the ginger's time...  
"Well, I don't know; but I can certainly try!" Jack smiled, patting Gavin on the shoulder. Gavin nodded, smiling at the gent. Maybe he could help.  
"Well... you see..." Gavin paused, wondering what the best way to explain this would be. "I don't really know how to explain it... but whenever I look at someone, I get this weird feeling in my belly and my cheeks feel really warm..." Gavin muttered, not looking at Jack as he picked his words carefully while trying his best to explain, not wanting to reveal who he was having these feelings for yet, afraid that they might no longer be allowed to work together. Jack simply nodded and hummed, waiting patiently for Gavin to finish.  
"But, it only happens with one person, I don't understand why..." Gavin finished, biting his lip and glancing at Jack, hoping he could get some sort of answer. Jack blinked at him for a moment before smiling and patting Gavin on the back.  
"Well to me, It sounds like you've got the hots for someone. Who is it? Someone at the office?" Jack grinned. Gavin blushed, turning his face away. That couldn't be right, no way did he have a crush on Michael, he had a girlfriend and best friends don't fall for best friends who have girlfriends- that's not how it works. There had to be some sort of mistake!  
Gavin was pulled out of his thoughts by Jack's voice suddenly breaking through the brief silence.  
"Is it Michael?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger lad. Gavin let out a surprised squawk and bubbled incoherently for a moment; before sighing in defeat and nodding. There was no point in trying to lie to Jack- he always saw through his lies. Jack smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "What a guy to pick to have a crush on, eh?" he chuckled, smiling comfortingly. Gavin returned the gesture with a lopsided smile.  
"Yeah I know." He sighed. "Don't worry about it, I didn't expect anything to happen anyway. I didn't even realize that I had a crush on him until now. Thanks though, you've been a great help." Gavin grinned at Jack before turning on his heels. "I should get back before he wonders why I've been gone so long. See you later!"  
"See you, glad to help!" Jack called after him, his wave goodbye going unnoticed by the lad jogging away, back towards the office. He sighed, shaking his head at him. He worried for the Brit, wondering what he'll do now that he knows what his feelings mean. Michael wasn't really the type of guy you wanted to confess to when he was already in a happy relationship - especially if you valued your friendship; he simply hoped at Gavin knew this, for his own sake.  
Guess he'll have to wait and see. 


	4. Broken (4/?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We broke up."  
> "Wait, what? But didn't you just meet her parents last weekend?" Geoff asked, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion.  
> "Yeah, that's kinda why we broke up. She didn't tell me her mother was a fucking animal and that because of that, she has the chance to carry the gene to her kids. I don't want any fucking freaks in my family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN SO LONG TO UPDATE I SWEAR I HAVEN'T ABANDONED THIS I'M SORRY <3  
> thanks everyone for being so patient, I'm gonna try to get it done quicker!  
> It's kinda a short chapter, I had more to put in it but decided you've been waiting long enough and it would take me a while to do everything I wanted to do in this chapter so it's going in the next one!
> 
> Also Michael is a bit of a dick in this :(
> 
> sorry again! Enjoy~

Neither Jack nor Gavin said anything to each other about their conversation three weeks ago, and Gavin trusted that Jack hadn't passed on the information since no one had come to him about it. Gavin was thankful for that - he wasn't really ready to have anyone else know just yet.

Sighing in frustration, Gavin sat back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. He'd been trying to edit the same video for nearly three hours now, but his editing program kept crashing in between saves and he was being forced to edit the same part over and over. He was starting to get sick of it; everyone else had gone to lunch but this constant crashing meant that he was way behind on his work so he'd chosen to stay behind in the hopes that he could catch up. Nope. ****Pinching the bridge of his nose and breathing out slowly, Gavin's mind drifted to Michael. The curly-haired lad hadn't shown up for work today yet, and the day was already half over. Gavin wasn't really worried- he knew Michael could take care of himself and Geoff had been able to phone him earlier on in the day so they know he's safe; but he just didn't explain why is wasn't showing up and it was starting to concern the hybrid.

Pushing away from his desk and standing up, Gavin glared at his computer for a moment before heading towards the kitchen. Everyone else would be back soon so he might as well make himself a coffee and grab a snack before they got back to recording, give himself a little pick-me-up. Digging through the cupboards, Gavin pulled out a pot of coffee, reading the label and not really paying attention to anything around him, hardly anyone was here anyway so he let his ears flick slightly from under his beanie, though even with the lack of people there was no way he was risking removing it while technically in public.

Gavin was so focused on making his coffee that he didn't see Geoff, Jack and Ray sneaking up behind him. Geoff pushed a finger to his lips, signaling to the other two to keep quiet as he snuck forward, waiting for Gavin to put the mug he'd just gotten out of the cupboard down before lunging forward, grabbing Gavin's sides and shouting "Boo!" in his ear.  
Gavin squawked, tensing and leaping forward, spinning around in the process to glare at whoever had just scared the crap out of him, seeing Geoff, he briefly relaxed; until he saw the other two snickering behind him. Gavin scowled at them, folding his arms over his chest.  
"Haha, very funny. Can I continue making my coffee without the fear of dropping it or spilling it all over me?"  
"Sure buddy. Has Michael arrived yet?"  
Gavin shook his head, opening his mouth to reply "no" but he was interrupted by the slamming of the door on the wall and a certain very angry man shouting "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?"  
"I think he just showed up.." Gavin half whispered, glancing at Geoff.  
"I think you may be right Gavvers." Geoff smiled, watching Michael storm past them and into the office, slamming the door behind him.  
"Do you think we should see what's wrong?"  
Geoff nodded, already starting to walk towards the office. He knocked on the door before walking in, smiling at Michael. Gavin waiting round the corner, not wanting to get in the way of Michael's famous raging.  
"Hey buddy!" Geoff said cheerfully. "Wanna tell me whats up?"  
Gavin heard Michael sigh heavily, and the squeaking of the chair as he spun round to look at Geoff.  
"Fucking, Lindsay.." He spat. Both Geoff and Gavin were surprised; Michael and Lindsey usually got on so well, a lot of people said they were the "star couple" of the office, they don't usually argue and when the do Michael never stays mad for long.  
"What happened?" Geoff asked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice.  
"We broke up."  
"Wait, what? But didn't you just meet her parents last weekend?" Geoff asked, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion.  
"Yeah, that's kinda why we broke up. She didn't tell me her mother was a fucking animal and that because of that, she has the chance to carry the gene to her kids. I don't want any fucking freaks in my family." Michael practically growled. Gavin froze, pressing his back into the wall, his ears flat against his head. Geoff glanced at him, noticing his panic but unable to do anything about it right now; he was too occupied trying to keep his anger in check.  
"Michael." Geoff started slowly, Gavin sensed the warning tone in his voice, but apparently Michael hadn't.  
"I mean, who does that Geoff? You'd think someone would tell you that they could have fucking mutant children before getting into a relationship, don't you think?"  
"Michael." Geoff interrupted, his teeth gritted tight. "I think you should go home. Don't come in for the rest of the week, calm down and rethink everything you have just said. Remember that this is a safe workplace and not everyone thinks the same about faunas."  
"Don't tell me you actually like them. You can't be serious, they're nothing but filthy animals!" Michael shouted and Gavin flinched, feeling tears prickle in the corners of his eyes. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palm both in anger and sadness.  
"Yes, Michael, I'm serious. I happen to have both family and a very close friend who happen to be hybrids and they are fantastic people. I'd appreciate it if you would keep your negativity towards them to yourself. Until you've calmed down, go home."  
"Fine, whatever I need to clear our Lindsey's stuff anyway." Michael grumbled, standing up, glaring at Geoff before storming out. He didn't even notice Gavin standing against the wall. Gavin watched him leave, a mix of anger and hurt on his face. He didn't even realize he was shaking until Geoff put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a hug.  
"Don't worry buddy, I wont let him hurt you." He murmured in Gavin's ear. He nodded, gently pulling out of Geoff's embrace and walking into the office. Silently bringing his computer out of the screensaver and continuing with his work. He refused to let Geoff see him crying, he didn't even know why it upset him so much. He was used to the hate, there weren't a lot of people who actually liked his kind, no- He wasn't upset because Michael hated them. He was upset because it was Michael. 

Geoff looked sympathetically at Gavin, watching him for a few moments before sighing lightly and gently closing the door before joining the other two in the kitchen.  
"What happened..?" Ray asked, staring at the front entrance in confusion. "Did he say he and Lindsey broke up?"  
"Yeah." Geoff sighed, rubbing his temples. "Because her mom is a hybrid."  
"That's stupid." Jack said, frowning at Geoff. "Why ruin a beautiful relationship over that?" Geoff shrugged at Jack.  
"It's not really my right to talk about it, you'll have to ask him on it."  
"Where did he go?"  
"I sent him home until he's calmed down." Geoff shrugged, sighing.   
"Where's Gavin...?" Jack asked suddenly, a concerned look etching it's way onto his face.   
"He's in the office, he's pretty upset. He heard it all and most of his family are hyrbids." Geoff lied, not sure if Gavin had told or if he wanted to tell them yet. Jack stayed silent, nodding quietly; seeming to think for a moment before piping up. "Mind if I speak to him?" He asked. Geoff shook his head.   
"Not at all, go for it." Geoff smiled, reaching past Ray who was browsing the fridge for a soda and pulled out a beer. Jack smiled back at Geoff before heading towards the office.

Jack knocked on the door to the office, calling Gavin's name before letting him know he was coming in and slowly opening the door. Gavin was bent over his desk, his head on his arms, and Jack could swear he saw his shoulders shaking. Jack though he literally felt his heart break when he heard a broken sob come from the man and he quickly rushed over, sitting next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.   
"Hey Gav, you ok, buddy?" He asked gently, moving his hand from the Brit's shoulder and onto his back to rub it in a comforting manner. Gavin shook his head, raising it to look at Jack. The bearded man took in a sharp breath at the sight of the lad's tear-stained cheeks and puffy red eyes.   
"What do I do?" He all my whimpered, turning his body to lean his head on Jack's head; biting his lip in an attempt to stop more tears.   
"I'm not sure." Jack sighed, rubbing Gavin's back. "This isn't just because of your crush is it? It's also because of his apparent hybrid hate?" Jack felt Gavin stiffen briefly before nodding against him, leaning back and opening his mouth to make up some excuse as to why. Jack quickly stopped him by holding up a hand. "Don't worry, I know Gav." He smiled. Gavin looked at him with a confused expression, which quickly turned to fear when he realized what he meant.   
"B-but.. how? Why..?" Gavin said in a panicked tone, contemplating whether or not he should be running; but when Jack smiled kindly, he relaxed deciding that no, he didn't. He could trust Jack.   
"My parents and I used to be really good friends with a hybrid family who lived next door, I picked up a sort of sixth sense to know when people are hybrids in hiding. What type are you?" "C-cat." Gavin sniffed, smiling at Jack and pulling his beanie up to show him his ear. "I have a matching tail but that's binded..." Gavin murmured. Jack stared at Gavin, shock apparent on his face.   
"It's binded? And it's like that all day? Gavin that must hurt like hell!" He exclaimed.   
"It does and you sound like Geoff." Gavin chuckled   
"Who sounds like me?" Geoff's voice sounded from the door. Gavin and Jack turned their heads to look over to him and saw his head poking into the room.   
"Jack does, he doesn't like that my tail is binded.." Gavin said shyly, smiling at Jack.   
"So he knows then?" Geoff asked, raising one eyebrow. Gavin nodded, pulling his beanie back onto his head. "When are you going to tell Ray and Ryan? I understand that you probably don't want to tell Michael but I can guarantee both those two will be fine with it." He continued. Gavin sighed, shrugging. "I'll tell them when I tell them I guess.." He muttered, leaning back into his chair. Geoff nodded in understanding.   
"There's no rush, and Jack and I will support and you until then, right, Jack?" Geoff grinned. Jack nodded, smiling at Gavin. "100%!" He said, patting Gavin on the back, slightly to the side now he knows he binds his tail probably to his chest.   
"Thank you guys. Really." Gavin sighed happily. He was glad he had these two on his side, even if Michael would hate him if he found out what he was...   
"Oh, and Gavin?" Geoff asked, his smile turning hard when Gavin looked up at him. "Don't worry about Michael. I will not let him hurt you. Ever." He said in a serious tone, staring Gavin right in the eyes so he knew he was serious.   
"I know, Geoff. I trust you." Gavin smiled. He meant it, he really did trust Geoff. He knew he would keep him safe. That didn't stop him being afraid though, and it certainly didn't stop the pain of knowing the person you're convinced you're in love with would hate you if he found out who you really are. He glanced to Jack and saw him still smiling at him, his eyes saying the same thing as Geoff's. 'You're safe. You're not gonna get hurt.'   
At least he had these two.


	5. It's All Over Now (5/?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "GAVIN! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T LEAVE MY SHIT ALONE I'M I WILL PUNCH YOUR FUCKING FACE IN!" Michael shouted at Gavin as he, once again, stole the iron he was smelting in the furnace.  
> "I'm not doing anything!" Gavin shouted back, trying- unsuccessfully- to feign innocence.  
> "That's it." Michael growled as he watched Gavin take the pork he was cooking. He turned his chair slightly and suddenly lunged at Gavin, tackling him to the ground. Gavin squawked, flailing for a moment in an attempt to grab hold of something before hitting the ground with a thud. He looked up at Michael, trying to stifle his laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only a short chapter to finish how I wanted to finish the last chapter but it would've taken too long this is kinda like chapter 4 part 2? I dunno, enjoy!

Michael came back to work the next day, later than everyone else but he still showed up. He walked into the office and tapped Geoff in the shoulder, silently motioning for him to follow him out side for a moment. Geoff nodded, turning off his monitor and following the lad out. Gavin glanced at Jack who returned his worried expression with a smile. Gavin smiled back before returning to his work.

Outside, Michael took a breath before turning to Geoff.  
"My opinions haven't changed. I still don't like them and chances are I never will; but I respect your opinion on them so I will keep mine to myself." He said boldly, staring Geoff straight in the eyes, letting him know he was serious. Geoff sighed but nodded.  
"Alright buddy, if that's what you want. It's a shame though because they really are nice people and a lot of them go through so much shit at a young age. You'd be surprised how well you can get on with them if you'd only give them a chance."  
"I'm ok thanks." Michael said, holding up a hand to signal to Geoff to stop talking. "I get what you're saying, but I just can't like them. I'm sorry." He shrugged, looking up at the older man apologetically. Geoff also shrugged.  
"Can't make you change your mind." He said, putting a hand back on the door handle. "Let's go back to work, shall we?"  
Michael nodded, following him in and sitting at his desk, glancing sideways and catching the concerned look on Gavin's face. He turned to face him properly, smiling at him.  
"Hey boi, what's up?" He asked brightly. Gavin jumped slightly, not expecting such a loud hello.  
"Jesus, Michael you made me jump!" Gavin exclaimed, holding a hand to his chest in an attempt to calm his heart rate. "Nothing's up, you just seemed upset yesterday so I was worried." He lied, knowing the curly-haired lad would react badly if he told the truth.  
"Oh, yeah yesterday wasn't a great day. Lindsey and I broke up." Michael shrugged as if it was no big deal.  
"Oh really?" Gavin asked, framing surprise and innocence. "What happened?"  
Michael opened his mouth as if to start off again like he had yesterday when he caught Geoff's warning stare and rethinking his response.  
"Difference in opinion I suppose, don't worry too much about it." He said, turning back to his still off computer and switching that, along with his Xbox, on. Gavin nodded, turning back to his own computer.  
"Fair enough..." He said quietly, ignoring the pitty glance from Jack. He didn't need pitty, he was fine. Michael was keeping his opinions to himself so he had no reason to worry.

A few weeks later, things had calmed down a lot. Gavin was almost back to how he used to be with Michael and Michael seemed to be completely over Lindsey. It was still incredibly awkward between them however. Whenever Lindsey was in the room, Michael would make a point of completely blanking her, and Lindsey would glare at the back of his head whenever she could. Gavin didn't blame her though, he was probably being bias but he was on her side. Michael had basically thrown away the love of his life because he had a bad opinion on hybrids, but it didn't matter anymore. Things were more or less back to the way they were and Gavin still couldn't get over his feeling for Michael.  
They were currently filming a new Minecraft Lets Play and, as usual, Gavin had made it his priority to mess with Michael in any way he could. He could see Michael getting more and more angry with his consistent pestering but he just found the death glares he received from him hilarious.  
"GAVIN! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T LEAVE MY SHIT ALONE I'M I WILL PUNCH YOUR FUCKING FACE IN!" Michael shouted at Gavin as he, once again, stole the iron he was smelting in the furnace.  
"I'm not doing anything!" Gavin shouted back, trying- unsuccessfully- to feign innocence.  
"That's it." Michael growled as he watched Gavin take the pork he was cooking. He turned his chair slightly and suddenly lunged at Gavin, tackling him to the ground. Gavin squawked, flailing for a moment in an attempt to grab hold of something before hitting the ground with a thud. He looked up at Michael, trying to stifle his laughs.  
"Oh you think this is funny do you, you mother fucker?!" Michael half yelled, pinning Gavin to the floor. A devious smile crept across his face and he held both Gavin's arms above his head with one hand to give himself a free hand. He suddenly thrust his hand forward, tickling Gavin's sides. Gavin squawked again, trying to twist out of Michael's reach.  
"Michael no!" Gavin gasped between laughs, kicking his legs and twisting to try and escape Michael's grasp.  
"Is it funny now? It seems to be, you're laughing a lot!" Michael grinned, increasing his efforts.  
Gavin twisted and thrashed harder, trying to get his words out between laughs. After what seemed like an eternity, Michael finally- but abruptly- stopped tickling Gavin, the brit talking this opportunity to wriggle out of his reach and get his breath back, still giggling in the after shock from the tickles. He sat up, grinning at Michael, but was returned with a look that seemed to be a mix of surprise, anger and disgust.  
"Michael...? Whats wrong?" He asked quietly, glancing around the room when he felt more eyes on him. Geoff had a hand plastered over his mouth, dread etched onto what Gavin could see of his face. Ryan and Ray both had pretty much the same expression - shock, and Jack simply looked sad, like he was pitying Gavin. He looked back to Michael, still confused as to what was going on.

Gavin flinched as Michael suddenly stood up and left the room, brushing past Gavin on his way. Gavin spun round on the spot to watch Michael leave when he felt something brush against his fingers and looked down. His heart sank and horror etched its way onto his face. He slowly picked up his beanie from the floor and glanced over to Geoff. The gent immediately stood up and went over to the lad, joining him on the floor and hugging him, trying to shield him to the other's stares.  
"He knows..." Gavin whispered. Geoff nodded.  
"Everyone knows..." Gavin whispered again, his voice breaking a little. "Do they all hate me...?"  
"No one here hated you Gav, we're just surprised that you didn't tell us sooner. We don't think of you any different and Michael is just a dick." Ray piped up. Gavin glanced at him, seeing the genuine smile and returned it. He turned his gaze to Ryan, who was also nodding in agreement. Gavin pulled away from Geoff, pulling the beanie back onto his head, flinching when he heard the front door to the building slam closed.  
"Is it ok if I go home, Geoff? I think I need a little time to myself..." Gavin murmured, looking at the floor.  
"Sure buddy, do you want a lift?"  
"No, I'll walk. See you later."  
Geoff watched him leave and waited a few moment before turning to the others.  
"If any of you fucks say a word-"  
"Geoff it's ok, I meant what I said." Ray interrupted, smiling at him  
"And I completely agree with Ray." Ryan added. Geoff nodded and sighed, standing up and getting back into his chair.  
"Ok... so what are we going to do about Michael...?"  
Everyone glanced at each other, trying to think of ideas. What were they going to do?


	6. Daddy Geoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ignoring most of the road safety protocols, Geoff made it back to his house in record time. Walking up to the door, he tried to act casual as he opened the door and called out to Gavin.  
> "Hey Gav? You here?" He waited a few moments for a reply. When he didn't get one, he stepped inside, closing the door behind him and looked around, concern etching onto his face. "Gav?" he called out again, deciding the most logical place he would be was in his room so he started heading towards it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok to this was either going to be a really long chapter or a really short, quick update one. I decided on a short, quick update since you guys have been waiting ages so the rest of this chapter will be in another part  
> I'm so sorry for the wait, college is hard <3

There wasn't much work done for the rest of the day at the office. Geoff and Jack spent the rest of the day explaining to Ray and Ryan what had just happened. Both of them agreed that Michael was being stupid.  
"Gavin is still the same person, he's just got animal parts. I don't understand why Michael has such a resentment towards them." Ryan shrugged, leaning back into his chair. "Let me know how he is, ok?"  
Geoff nodded, standing up and stretching.  
"Speaking of which, I should go home to check on him. He's been alone for a while. You should all go home too, it's nearly an hour past quitting time." Geoff waved before turning and practically speed walking out. He wanted to get home to Gavin as soon as he could. He had a feeling he needed some comfort.  


Ignoring most of the road safety protocols, Geoff made it back to his house in record time. Walking up to the door, he tried to act casual as he opened the door and called out to Gavin.  
"Hey Gav? You here?" He waited a few moments for a reply. When he didn't get one, he stepped inside, closing the door behind him and looked around, concern etching onto his face. "Gav?" he called out again, deciding the most logical place he would be was in his room so he started heading towards it.  
Reaching his room, he stared at the closed door in front of him, waiting a few seconds before knocking on it.  
"You in there, Buddy?" he asked softly, hesitant to just walk in without invitation. He heard a murmur from the other side of the door and frowned, not being able to catch what he said. "I'm coming in, ok?" Geoff said, again waiting for a moment before opening the door and slowly opening it.  
At first, Geoff couldn't see the lad anywhere and he stared into the room in confusion; until he say the scrunched up bulge on the bed. Gavin was curled up and cocooned into the duvet, completely covered by it. Geoff felt his heart clench with sympathy and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting the lump in a, what he hoped, was a comforting manner.  
"You wanna talk about it?" Geoff asked gently, trying to encourage Gavin to come out from under the duvet. After a few moments, the sheets shifted and Gavin emerged from underneath them. He looked drained, his ears were flat against his head and his eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Geoff guessed he's been crying not long before he came home. Gavin sat up and Geoff smiled, immediately wrapping an arm around his shoulders.  
"Don't worry about him. I'm not going to let him hurt you, it'll be alr-" "I love him." Gavin interrupted, staring at Geoff square in the face. Geoff stared back in utter shock. Well this was a problem.  


Geoff said nothing, waiting to see if Gavin was going to continue. Gavin broke eye contact and looked down, sighing. "I love him, and he hates me; because of these." He said through gritted teeth, flicking his ears in an angry manner. Geoff was taken aback and the spite in his voice, and it concerned him further.  
"Don't say that. Don't talk about yourself with such hate in your voice. Screw what Michael thinks, if he suddenly hates you and wants to ruin the beautiful friendship you two had, he's made the wrong choice; and a pathetic one." Geoff said, anger towards Michael leaking into his voice.  
"Sorry" Gavin whispered, staring at his hands which were bundled in his lap, his tail hanging limply behind him, adding to the 'sad puppy dog' look. Geoff rubbed Gavin's shoulder before standing up and stretching.  
"I'm starving, do you want anything to eat?"  
Gavin shook his head and have Geoff a half-hearted smile.  
"No thanks, I'm not hu-"  
"A'ight, pizza it is. I'll let you know what it's here." Geoff interrupted, winking at the lad and walking out the room. Gavin smiled to himself, glad he had Geoff here to help him out. He'll be ok. Geoff was right, he didn't need Michael.  



	7. It's a love-hate relationship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months went by, and Michael's attitude towards Gavin had changed dramatically. He didn't say anything in particular, rather he treated him harsher than he usually would. He had taken to purposelessly hunting him down or picking on him when they filmed a let's play. Let's plays were actually the only time that Michael even acknowledged Gavin's existence anymore, outside of videos it was like in Michael's eyes, Gavin didn't exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god I'm so sorry this took so long, honestly there's I excuse for it except for how I am as a person. I have more free time now so updates should come much quicker.  
> You should also expect some shorter chapters so I can keep on top of updates for when I hit a block.
> 
> Seriously though, thank you to everyone who's stuck by me throughout this adventure, your comments honestly help me get through it. If I didn't have the support of all of you I would probably have abandoned this a long time ago, so again; thank you. 
> 
> now enjoy this chapter, and a brief warning: this is the one chapter that includes some self harm. I will put a warning before it happens so anyone who wishes not to read that part an skip over it <3

Months went by, and Michael's attitude towards Gavin had changed dramatically. He didn't say anything in particular, rather he treated him harsher than he usually would. He had taken to purposelessly hunting him down or picking on him when they filmed a let's play. Let's plays were actually the only time that Michael even acknowledged Gavin's existence anymore, outside of videos it was like in Michael's eyes, Gavin didn't exist.  
The rest of the office tried to convince him that he'd get over it. Eventually Michael would see that he's being stupid and apologies and everything would be fine. For a while, Gavin believed them; but after 5 weeks, he'd given up hope.  
His feelings, unfortunately, still hadn't changed; and it was grating on Gavin more and more each day. Having the one you love treat you like you're nothing better than shit on a shoe does things to a guy. 

Today wasn't any different. They were filming a minecraft lets play that was bound to be another three-parter; and yet again instead of trying to complete the task at hand, Michael had made it his mission to make Gavin's life as miserable as possible. Stealing his stuff, killing him over and over.  
"Michael, why?" Gavin whined as the 'you died' text lit up on his screen for the 6th time in half an hour.  
"Why what, Gavvy?" Michael asked sweetly, pretending he was completely innocent.  
"Why do you keep killing me? Leave me be and go find your own stuff!" Gavin whined again.  
"Nah, this is more fun."  
Gavin could could hear the smirk in his voice and sighed through his nose, gritting his teeth, his tail, no longer binded or hidden since there wasn't much point anymore, whipping back and forth in irritation.  
"Aww, is Gavvy-Wavvy getting angry?" Michael sneered. Gavin gritted his teeth tighter and said nothing, his ears flattening against his head. He was opting to ignore Michael instead of retaliating. This simply made Michael grin wider, well aware of the fact that he was clearly pissing Gavin off.  
"Giving me the silent treatment now, Gavvy? Awww, that's not nice! You should be kinder to your friends, Gavvy!"  
Gavin couldn't stop the low, irritated rumble escaping from the back of his throat. He glared at him computer screen, trying to block Michael out.  
"Michael." Geoff warned, glancing at Gavin. Michael scoffed, smirking at his computer screen. "It's not my fault the filthy animal can't keep his temper in check." Michael sneered.

"That's it!" Gavin shouted, pushing away from his desk, and standing up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process.  
"Gavin?" Geoff questioned, reaching out to him.  
"No. I'm going home, I can't work like this! I'm a fucking person too, I have fucking feelings! I'm done, I can't do this." Gavin shouted, clenching his fists, his ears pushed back against his head. He stormed out the room, slamming the door behind with with enough force to shake the walls.  


The room was plunged into an awkward silence, everyone reeling in shock from what had just happened. Michael stared at the door, processing what just happened. Michael had known he was pissing him off, but he didn't expect him to storm out like that. It was just a bit of fun, it wasn't his fault the cat couldn't take a joke. He huffed, leaning back in his chair. He could feel eyes burning into the back of his head, and finally turned round to face them, Geoff' scold stare meeting his gaze, causing him to gulp nervously. He looked angrier than he'd ever been before, but that wasn't what worried him. What did, was the absolute calmness lf his voice. It was quiet and collected, yet every word stabbed Michael to the point that was the fearful he might be ripped apart limb from limb.  
"Michael. Care to explain what the fuck you think you're doing?" Geoff said quietly and calmly.  
"I...I was just joking, it's not my fault he can't take a joke," Michael shot back, trying to defend himself.  
"That's bullshit and you know it. You weren't joking around, you were being purposefully spiteful. I need to go after him and make sure he's ok. You are going to stay here, finish your work and think about what you've done." Geoff said, not looking at Michael as he stood up, packing up his things and walking out.  
Michael watched him go, guilt setting in. He looked around the room at the others, Jack giving him a disappointed loo, Ryan looking angry and Ray choosing to ignore him, turning back to his computer and putting his headphones back on to get on with his work.  
"I was just joking" he said quietly, turning to look at Gavin's abandoned desk. Truth was, he didn't mind the led. Not really, but there was no way he'd admit that out loud, or to himself.  
"To you maybe, but not to him. He really cares about you Michael, you were best friends." Jack said, sighing. "You have no idea what he's been through just because of his DNA. When he saw how you reacted with Lindsey it broke his heart, and she wasn't even a hybrid."  
Michael stared at his lap in silence, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. He pursed his lips, conflicted with himself. He'd been brought up to hate them, but he had to admit he and Gav had a great thing going before he found out what he was. He huffed a sigh and pressed his fingers to his temples.  
"I'm an idiot." he murmured to himself.  
"Yes, you are." Jack deadpanned. "Geoff's right, you really need to rethink your opinion."  
Michael nodded, silently turning back to his computer screen and shoving his headphones on, not really concentrating on his work but rather, lost in thought. Jack looked at him a moment longer before turning to smile to Ryan. Ryan nodded back at him and the both turned back to their own work. It was gonna be a long day.  


****

Gavin got home surprisingly fast, immediately heading into the bathroom and staring at himself in the mirror, his gaze settling on the ears flat against his head. He grit his teeth, glaring at them.  
"If I didn't have you, he would like me too." He growled at them, slamming his. fists on the counter.  
**T/W AFTER THIS POINT**

His hands settled next to a pair of scissors, brand new that Griffon had bought only yesterday so she could cut her hair. He started at them for a moment, glancing back at his ears then back to the scissors. Without a second's thought he grabbed the scissors and raised them to his ears, glaring at them once more before clamping the blades down onto his flesh, gritting his teeth at the sudden burst of pain. He quickly pushed it away and continued to saw at his left ear, blood and tears flowing freely as he desperately tried to make himself normal.  
Sobs wracked through his chest as a chunk of the thin flesh of his ear fell into the sink. Whether it was from relief, pain or despair he couldn't tell, but he continued to cut at his ear anyway. It was difficult to see through the blood, and it made the scissors and his hands so slippery that he struggled to keep a good grip on them. They kept slipping from side to side instead of staying on target.  
****

**SAFE FROM HERE (told you it wouldn't be a lot)**

"Come off, dammit!" he shouted at himself between sobs, too caught up in his own world to hear the front door open and Geoff calling his name.  


****  


"Gav?" Geoff shouted again, closing the door gently behind him. He strained his ears, trying to hear any sign of the lad. After hearing nothing, he started walking towards Gavin's room, wondering if he'd shut himself in there but as he walked past the bathroom, he heard sobbing. He felt his heart sink and gently knocked on the door. Getting no answer, he hesitated a second before gently pushing the door open. He froze at the scene in front of him, unable to move for a few moments. Shaking himself back to reality, he rushed forward to Gavin.  
"Gav! Stop!" He shouted, snatching the scissors out of his hand and tossing them into the bath, pulling Gavin close to him and holding him close as he sobbed.  
"I'm sorry." Gavin choked out, clutching Geoff's shirt, shaking as he hugged him.  
"Shh, Gav, Shh. I know." Geoff replied gently, rubbing his back in slow, soothing motions, his own eyes welling up at the sight. He hesitantly pulled away, sitting Gavin down on top of the toilet and turning to get the first aid kit out of the cabinet under the sink. He silently turned back to Gavin after wetting a flannel, quietly and gently cleaning the blood from the lad's ear, inspecting the wounds. Thankfully, he hadn't done as much damage as the blood made it look. A few slashes near the base and a chunk missing near the middle, but it shouldn't need serious medical attention.  
"I'm just gonna clean and bandage you up, ok?" He said calmly. Gavin nodded, not making any sound besides the occasional sniff.  
Geoff took some antiseptic wipes out of the box and cleaning the wounds properly, getting a better look at some of the slashes. They were deep, and probably wouldn't fuse back together but it didn't need stitching.  
Gavin hissed at the stinging of the antiseptic wipes, flinching away from Geoff slightly. In response, Geoff put on hand firmly on Gavin's shoulder to keep him still while he finished cleaning.  
Once he was satisfied and they wounds has mostly stopped bleeding, he took a thin bandage out of the box, carefully and gently but firmly wrapping Gavin's ear up, quickly checking to see if he had any other wounds before washing as much blood off of the lad's skin as he could.  
"I'm not going to ask why because I'm pretty sure I know why, but I will ask you not to to this again and instead talk to me. You're lucky it's not worse than it is, you could've done some serious damage." Geoff said gently, rubbing Gavin's shoulder comfortingly.  
Gavin glanced up at him before turning his gaze back into his lap.  
"I...I thought if- if I didn't have these then...then Michael w-would l-like me..." Gavin said between holding back chokes of a sob, his eyes welling up again and threatening to spill over his cheeks.  
"Oh Gav..." Geoff sighed, helping Gavin stand up and hugging him tight again. "Come on," he said, pulling away. "Wash your hands and go get changed, meet me in the living room. We're playing video games."  
Gavin nodded, smiling at him before doing as he said, grimacing as he washed the blood off his hands and headed off into his bedroom to change out of his blood-stained shirt, tossing it straight into the wash on his way back to Geoff.  
He sat next to him, picking up a controller and joining the Halo match Geoff set up.  
"Thank you." he said quietly, smiling a little.  
"Any time buddy, but preferably not any more." he smiled back, nudging him with his shoulder before turning to the TV and starting the game.  
**** 

Finishing his work, Michael threw down his headphones, quickly shutting down and throwing on his Jacket, turning to the door. "Where are you going?" Jack asked, eyeing his cautiously.  
"I need to go apologize to Gavin." He said desperately. "I really didn't mean to upset him so bad, I was an idiot I have to apologize." Jack winced, shaking his head a little.  
"Are you sure that's a good idea with Geoff there? He might rip your head off for showing up."  
"I have to try." Michael sighed. "He's upset because of me, I feel awful about it. I don't want my boi to be mad at me, I don't want to ruin this."  
Jack nodded, smiling a little at him before waving him off.  
"Ok, ok, be careful with Geoff, please make up with him." Jack warned, turning back to his computer. Michael nodded before rushing out the door, wanting to get there as quickly as possible. He couldn't stand Gavin being upset, especially not because of him. He saw that now, he just hoped it wasn't too late to fix things.


End file.
